CIGARETTE SPARKS BRUSH FIRE IN LA MESA

July 4, 2010 (La Mesa) – Investigators from Heartland Fire & Rescue have determined that a cigarette smoker started a brush fire shortly after 11:30 this morning in La Mesa. Fortunately, an alert homeowner spotted the blaze and called 911 to report a fire behind her home in the 7000 block of Saranac Street.  Firefighters arrived within five minutes and  fully extinguished flames ten minutes later from the quarter-acre fire burning in light, flashy fuels.

Several witnesses noticed a person smoking in the area of the origin of the fire just moments before they noticed flames, officials report. A pack of matches and a discarded cigarette were found close to the origin of the fire. The person smoking the cigarette had fled the scene prior to fire and police department arrival. There were no injuries or damages to property.